Greek Food Soups

Fasolada: Greek White Bean Soup Recipe

Name: Fasolada (Greek Bean Soup)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 605 min
Ingredients: 500 g dried white beans (cannellini or haricot); 2 L water (plus more as needed); 120 ml extra virgin olive oil (plus extra to serve); 1 large onion (chopped); 2 carrots (sliced into rounds); 2 celery sticks (sliced, with leaves); 2 garlic cloves (sliced); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 400 g chopped tomatoes (1 tin); 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp sweet paprika (optional); 2 tsp fine sea salt (added at the end); 1/2 tsp black pepper; fresh parsley (chopped, to serve); 1 lemon (to serve)

White beans simmered slowly with carrot, celery, onion, tomato and plenty of olive oil. Greece’s hearty, humble bean soup.

Serves

Calories

460 kcal

Cuisine

Greek

☆☆☆☆☆ No ratings yet. Be the first to rate it

↓ Jump to recipe

Save to Pinterest

Bowl of Greek fasolada white bean soup in tomato broth with olive oil, parsley and lemon

On this page: What is it · History · What you need · Step by step · Serving & storage · Recipe card

Fasolada is a Greek white bean soup: dried beans simmered slowly with carrot, celery, onion and tomato, then finished with a generous amount of olive oil. It is thick, comforting and filling, and it costs very little to make.

It is a winter staple in Greek homes, often called the national dish of Greece, and it is naturally vegan.

The method is simple. Soak the beans overnight, then let them cook gently until creamy.

What Is It?

Fasolada (φασολάδα) comes from fasoli, the Greek word for bean. It is a thick soup of white beans, usually cannellini or haricot beans, cooked with vegetables, tomato and a lot of good olive oil.

The olive oil is part of the dish, not just for cooking. It thickens the broth and gives the soup its rich, silky texture.

It is served hot in bowls with bread, olives, raw onion or pickled fish on the side, and often a squeeze of lemon.

A Little History

Ladling fasolada bean soup into bowls for a Greek winter supper with olives, feta and bread

Fasolada is often described as Greece’s national dish, and it has fed families through winters and fasting periods for generations. Because it contains no meat or dairy, it is a staple during the fasting periods of the Orthodox calendar.

Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and fava have been eaten in Greece since antiquity. The white beans used today, however, came from the Americas, so fasolada as we know it took shape after the 16th century.

It remains a symbol of simple, frugal Greek home cooking: inexpensive ingredients, slow cooking and olive oil.

At a glance

Serves

Calories

460 kcal

Protein

20 g

Course

Soup, Main

Jump to recipe

Why it works

01 Vegan, cheap and very filling

02 Olive oil makes the broth silky

03 Even better the next day

Two bowls of Greek fasolada white bean soup with bread and lemon, seen from above

Cooking this later?

Save it to your Pinterest board so it’s there when you need it.

Save to Pinterest

What You Need

Exact amounts are in the recipe card

For the Beans

dried white beans, cannellini or haricot
water, plus more as needed

For the Soup

extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
large onion, chopped
carrots, sliced into rounds
celery sticks, sliced, with leaves
garlic cloves, sliced
tomato paste
chopped tomatoes, 1 tin
bay leaf
sweet paprika, optional
fine sea salt, added at the end
black pepper
fresh parsley, chopped, to serve
lemon, to serve

Ingredients for fasolada: dried white beans, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaf, paprika, olive oil and parsley

Step-by-Step Instructions

Soak the beans the night before. On the day, it is a long, gentle simmer with very little work.

Dried white beans soaking overnight in cold water for fasolada

1. Soak the beans

Cover the beans with plenty of cold water and soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.

Soaked white beans parboiling in a large pot for fasolada

2. Parboil the beans

Put the beans in a large pot, cover with water, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.

Tip: This first boil helps the beans cook evenly and makes them easier to digest.

Onion, carrot and celery softened in olive oil with garlic and tomato paste for fasolada

3. Soften the vegetables

In the same pot, heat half the olive oil and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.

Fasolada simmering with white beans, carrots and celery in tomato broth

4. Simmer

Add the beans, tomatoes, bay leaf, paprika, pepper and 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer partly covered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender.

Tip: Don’t salt until the beans are soft. Salt added too early can keep the skins tough.

5. Finish with olive oil

Stir in the remaining olive oil and the salt and simmer for 10 more minutes. The soup should be thick. If it is too thin, mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in.

Serving & Storage

Serving

Serve fasolada hot with crusty bread, olives and a squeeze of lemon. In Greece it is often eaten with raw onion, pickled peppers or a little feta on the side.

Finish each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and some chopped parsley.

Storing Leftovers

Cool the soup and keep it in airtight containers in the fridge. It thickens as it sits; add a splash of water when reheating.

Fasolada	up to 5 days
Freezer	up to 3 months
Soaked, uncooked beans	1 day in the fridge

Reheat gently on the hob and add a fresh drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Fasolada (Greek Bean Soup)

White beans simmered slowly with carrot, celery, onion, tomato and plenty of olive oil. Greece’s hearty, humble bean soup.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Greek

Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 45

Soak 8

Total Time 10 5

Servings servings

Calories 460

Equipment

Large heavy pot with a lid
Large bowl for soaking
Colander
Wooden spoon

Ingredients

Beans

500 g dried white beans cannellini or haricot
2 L water plus more as needed

Soup

120 ml extra virgin olive oil plus extra to serve
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots sliced into rounds
2 celery sticks sliced, with leaves
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
400 g chopped tomatoes 1 tin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sweet paprika optional
2 tsp fine sea salt added at the end
1/2 tsp black pepper
fresh parsley chopped, to serve
1 lemon to serve

Older dried beans can take much longer to soften. If they are still firm after 1 1/2 hours, keep simmering and check every 15 minutes.

To save time, use 3 tins of drained white beans and simmer for 30 minutes.

Instructions

Cover the beans with plenty of cold water and soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
Put the beans in a large pot, cover with water, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
In the same pot, heat half the olive oil and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
Add the beans, tomatoes, bay leaf, paprika, pepper and 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer partly covered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender.
Stir in the remaining olive oil and the salt and simmer for 10 more minutes. The soup should be thick. If it is too thin, mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in.